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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Our furry friends complete our family. We have two lovely pups {you can snag all the current pics on my Instagram}, and therefore, we also have some gear to organize.

Organizing for pets doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, we have done some things to keep our puppy things and processes super simple and also seamless to the rest of our home. Here are my top five pet organizing tips.

1. Set up a treat station!

I used an old cookie jar and mason jar along with some decorative labels and now the pooches have an instant treat station. By keeping their treats in a place that is out in the open, we are more likely to reward their oh-so-good behavior more often. And the labels ensure the whole fam knows to do the same {and not attempt to eat a puppy treat from the cookie jar!}.

Our Weimaraner takes calming chews each day because he has some anxiety if we have to leave him at home alone. We also jokingly call them his "chill pills", so we labeled his special jar accordingly.

2. Make Play Time A Breeze!

We keep a small basket on each floor of our home filled with puppy play toys. The baskets are kept at dog level, small enough for the dogs to use their paws and dump them out and see-through so the dogs have a visual reminder to chew on their toys {vs. my slippers}. Now, if I could train them to pick up when they are done....3. Create a Grooming Caddy

If I can put it in a caddy, I will! Pet grooming supplies are no exception. I found this utensil caddy awhile back at Target and it works perfect for transporting all of our pet supplies around the abode. We clean our dogs in our shower during cold months and outside in a kiddie pool during the summer. We clip their nails and brush their teeth in the bathroom and I brush our long haired pooch on the front steps. Just what we do... so keeping all of their supplies in one, easy to tote around caddy wins big for us.

Inside you will find shampoo for each dog, toothpaste, brush, ear cleaner, nail clippers, de-tangling spray and their sweet bandanas!

When not in use, the caddy is stored in a small cabinet in our main bathroom {more on that in an upcoming post}.

4. The "Take a Walk" Tote

In the past I stored the dog leashes in a drawer in our shoe cabinet. However, they always ended up taking over the entire drawer and then we added a poopy bag holder and then our Bentley was upgraded to a harness. Oh, and he gets cold really easily so he also acquired a sweet little sweater as well.

In order to keep all of the supplies near the door yet not visually taking over the entry, I decided a small tote on a hook would do the trick.

I even toss my ear buds in there so I have them for longer walks/runs...

The tote holds all of our dog walking essentials doesn't take up much space, so it was the perfect solution for the growing demands of our doggies.

5. Feeding Nook

I always would struggle with trying to incorporate our dog bowls and food bins into our kitchen space. They were always in the way, visually cluttering and constantly being tripped over {our kitchen doesn't have a layout that works well with excess feeding dishes}.

So, I found a new place that made much more sense, and that was a small nook in our laundry room. By keeping the dishes in there, we can feed and water them in a quiet place, and keep their bowls out on a daily basis. We have a wash sink in our laundry room, so we can wash their dishes each day and keep their water supply filled.

I added a grippy rubber mat to prevent their bowls from sliding around and to also keep the floor clean of crumbs and slobber. We store their food in a large tin bin, which holds a labeled pooch scoop inside.

Our dogs are part of our daily life, and so are their things. These are some of the ways we keep everything super accessible, yet tucked away at the same time.

Thank you!The hooks are from World Market: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/bubble-glass-double-hook.do?&from=SearchThe tote is one I have had for a few years now, but I believe See Jane Work. They also sell similar styles on Etsy.The caddy was a utensil caddy from Target during their summer seasonal outdoor dining time. They bring similar styles back annually. :)

Thank you for some great new ideas....I especially like the walking bag which I can definitely use at the front door. I'm wondering what kind of "chill pills" you feed Bentley, and if you find they help much - I've tried lots of things for my basenji all with minimal success.

We just started him on the Pet Naturals: http://www.petnaturals.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=700864021

We have only been using them for a few weeks, and they seem to help him with his anxiety when we leave and the inability to lay and relax {when he hears sounds, he barks or scatters around the house, this has tamed that a little}.

Love all of this!!! Amazing! I'm currently still in the process of organizing my kittey station in the living room. My roommate and I have an adorable black cat - Magic. We've designated a wall for him in our living room. I actually plan on posting this to my blog in a few weeks when it's all finished :)

I forgot that you had puppies and this reminder has me again thinking about how spotless your house is! How do you do it with 4 boys (hubbs included) and 2 dogs? I am ALWAYS trying to find a cleaning schedule that works for me, and would love to hear about your "cleaning day" or "clean every day" routine... you know, when you have a free moment to throw together a post. hahah

Although I love a tidy house, it doesn't always reflect that! It is hard to keep up after the entire fam {including myself!}. :) You can see our cleaning post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-mini-challenge-you-asked-we-heart.html I am lucky that the entire family is pretty good about pitching in. I could never do it all myself.

Bahahaha! I started wearing slippers just for that reason! :) Summer is the worst with bare feet! No answer to that! The mat under his water bowl helps with the food and the water for our other dog, but our Weim sticks his whole face in the bowl while he drinks. So funny!

Glad I'm not alone on that one! Sometimes while his face is in the water he exhales and blows bubbles, then startles himself. They are loaded with personality, that's for sure! Looks like I'll be buying slippers with a mop head bottom! Thanks!

We created a dog feeding station out of an Ikea Algot system! And designed a whole room around the dog. Obviously he's spoiled : ) Love the idea of the bag for walk items- hanging all of his stuff makes too much clutter!

These are great ideas. A friend shared this video on Facebook today and your comment on getting them to clean up their toys reminded me of it. This dog knows the meaning of "Clean the house"! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW_N-dujGXw

My house is definitely not fur free. :) I vacuum frequently, yet still have happy white fluffy bunnies hopping out from under our furniture. The dog bed is large enough for both dogs, we have one that floats between the upper level and lower, depending on where we are, and one in our dressing room for them to sleep on at night.

I found the dog food bins here: http://www.harrybarker.com/Dog-Food-Storage/products/8/

They really are the best looking ones around! I love how it looks in your laundry room. I need a better place to store mine. This was a great post. We have two dogs and now a kitten, so lots of things to get organized. I am inspired.Ridgely

GREAT ideas, Jen! I always struggle with how to deal with our dog's stuff. We have most of the non-everyday essentials in a large plastic bin, but it's not super accessible when I need to get into it. We also keep our treats in a small metal pail by the door so they're easily accessible. The leash currently gets thrown onto the our entry table, which isn't ideal. I'm thinking I need to do the hook and tote thing like you did!

Thank you for the dog centered organizational tips! My lab gets overly excited when it's time to eat and ends up pushing his bowl around or accidentally tipping it over. I'm going to try out the rubber mat idea! I'm sure my pup will appreciate :)

This is AMAZING. I struggle with decorating around our pets, since I live in a small space with no properly fenced yard or anything. Where do your dogs spend most of their time? Any general rules or loopholes to share for decorating around (and sharing the space) with energetic pets? #ohapartmentliving

I was hoping you would give more details about life with pooches. We have two large labs that seem to take over.... sometimes more than the kids! We keep our dog bowls in the laundry room too, but ours don't look quite so pretty.

And I can totally relate to water everywhere! Our labs are the messiest water drinkers ever!

My husband has been trying to talk me into that rubber mat idea since we got our second (who walks around with her mouth full of water...) and I hadn't seen it done in a nice way until this post! Now to find one as pretty...

How did I miss this post?! Now that we have Miss Maggie, I'm trying to figure out all the stuff that comes with her!! And where to put it!!?? Ack. I need to know more about those chill pills! Bless your pooch's heart!!

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